1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, and particularly to a printing apparatus which is removable and replaceable ink tanks differing in size.
2. Description of the Related Art
An inkjet printing apparatus used in a print medium in a large size adopts a system in which ink tanks are accommodated in a tank holder arranged in a main body of the printing apparatus and inks are supplied to print heads through ink supplying tubes. The reason for adoption of the above system is that, in the inkjet printing apparatus used in the print medium in a large size, because of a large use amount of inks and a large number of colors of inks, a total weight of the apparatus becomes large when the ink tank is mounted to a carriage, therefore requiring output of a drive motor to be large. In addition, the reason for adoption of the above system is that, the reaction of the carriage becomes large because of a heavy weight of the carriage, thereby making it difficult to improve a print quality.
In such a printing apparatus in which the tank holder is installed in the main body of the printing apparatus to accommodate the ink tanks therein, there are some cases where, since an insert/pullout force of a joint needle portion arranged in either one of the ink tank and the main body is large, it is difficult to remove and replace the ink tank.
On the other hand, there is known a printing apparatus provided with a mechanism for removing and replacing the ink tank by a lever operation using the principle of leverage (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. H11-157094 (1999)).
In a case of adopting the inkjet printing apparatus adapted for the ink tank having a large capacity, there are some cases where a user has a demand for use of an ink tank having a small capacity less expensive than the ink tank having the large capacity, depending on use frequency of the printing apparatus or the like. In addition, in a case where a user stores ink tanks each having a small capacity for the other type to some extent, the user possibly has a demand for use of the stored ink tank having the small capacity.
In the mechanism for removing and replacing the ink tank by the lever operation using the principle of leverage, a part of the lever makes contact with the ink tank with rotation of the lever to press the ink tank inside. Accordingly, in a case of using ink tanks differing in shape, there is a possibility that in the mechanism for removing and replacing the ink tank with the lever operation using the principle of leverage, the removal operation of the ink tank differing in shape, particularly due to a low height can not be performed.
On the other hand, there is a method in which an adaptor is mounted to an ink tank having a small capacity, which makes a tank overall size equal to that of a regular ink tank. In this method, however, since it is necessary for a user to mount the adaptor to the ink tank, the operation becomes troublesome for the user. In a case where the user loses or damages the adaptor, the ink tank having the small capacity can not be mounted.